A police officer accused of shooting to death Tharaka Nithi County Boda Boda Operator’s Chairman Willis Mugambi has been arraigned at Chuka Law Court.
Mr George Murithi, a corporal at the Chuka Police Station, appeared before Resident Magistrate Oscar Kinyua. Police were granted three days to conclude investigations.
The court also ordered that Mr Murithi be taken to Chuka County Referral Hospital for a mental assessment to determine whether he is fit to stand murder charges on May 16 at the Chuka High Court.
“After taking a plea at the High Court, he should be brought back here on the (May) 17th to confirm whether the orders given were adhered to,” said the resident magistrate.
Mugambi was shot dead during demonstrations in Chuka town on April 18 last month, sparking demonstrations by boda boda operators in the county led by elected leaders demanding the arrest and prosecution of the suspected killer.
The demonstrators who barricaded the Meru-Nairobi highway for three days caught the attention of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki who deployed Internal Affairs Unit and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers from Nairobi to investigate the matter.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) officers are also investigating the matter.
Gunned down
The shooting and chaos that followed led to the transfer of the County Police Commander Donatha Kiplagat and Chuka OCS Francisca Mbithe.
Mugambi was buried in an emotional send-off attended by the boda boda association leadership from across the country led by their chairperson Kevin Mubadi.
Mugambi was gunned down while participating in demonstrations by residents of Nkwego village in Rubate location.
They were protesting the delay by police to arrest the killers of Daniel Mutembei, on March 18, 2023.
Five of the six people accused of killing Mutembei were arrested and arraigned at the Chuka High Court on April 14 but denied the murder charges.
